Verse 16 To the Jew first, and also to the Greek; a mode of expression strikingly adapted to the state of feeling among those addressed, rendering, as it does, to the Jew the honor of respectful mention as the special object of divine regard, but yet placing the Gentile on an equal footing, in fact, as a partaker of the benefits of the gospel. It Is the language of truth and of conciliation combined; salvation to all that believe,--to the Jew first,--that is, specially, prominently,--but also to the Greek. While it distinctly extends to the one class all the blessings and privileges of the gospel, it does so by a form of expression which treats with respect the long-cherished feelings and prepossessions of the other.